You don’t often see the words “medium” and “countertop” used together. But you can, and should! Counters, just like any and all of the other elements of your home, have the potential to be a work of art!
Sometimes, the art is in the material itself and the artist is God Himself! This is true with granite, onyx, and beautiful woodgrains! At other times, the art is a creation of the skilled hand of an artistic soul.
These photos are of concrete countertops! Aren’t they amazing? The top one is a photo I took myself today of a sample I have from Downing Designs, an amazing concrete and glass studio in Tampa, FL.
I visited the studio a few months ago and I was amazed! I’ve had images of wonderful concrete creations dancing around in my mind ever since and the sample I left there with has not been buried in the sample graveyard!
While the top photo shows a real shell set in a beautiful, beach sand color, concrete mix along with colorful bits of glass and smaller shells, the bottom photo is the one I can’t get out of my head! I’ve seen this in person and it’s just really awesome!
Downing used real leaves (I’m not supposed to know what kind) to create these custom formed sinks which are truly incredible! It’s hard to see, but there is a tiny hole in the bottom where the water runs into the drain!
Availability: Good Most major cities have custom shops and concrete counters (maybe not like above) is something you can learn to do yourself (I’ll post soon about that!) The materials themselves are readily available everywhere.
Lead Time: Normal This will vary greatly depending on the shop. Since this can be art, some shops (artists) are very far backlogged. I would say that on average, the lead time will be about six weeks.
Cost Range: Medium Again, this will vary dramatically depending on the company or individual. Generally speaking, concrete counters have similar costs to granite. For the DIY’er, the cost can be extremely low… if all goes well.
One more thing for the wish list! My next post here ar RG:Select! will show you some kitchen counters with a custom concrete sink. I’ll also direct you to some great resources for the DIY junkies! You can subscribe to the RSS feed for RG:Select at the top right corner of your screen to be sure you don’t miss it! (email feed subscriptions not set up yet…sorry!)
Tell me your thoughts! Would this be to your liking?
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Yes, yes, yes! I’ve begged my husband to do concrete counters for about 3 years (he’s skeptical, but loved the bathroom counter you showed). My grand idea… I’d like to do it for the “kids” bathroom and use our daughters handprint in the corner of the sink for a built-in soap dish! Of course, if we moved I’d have to rip it out and take it with us!
Julie’s last blog post..A better kind of weekend.
I LOVE concrete counters, and floors! We are talking about updating our kitchen a little, including new counters. I would so love to do concrete. Thanks for these inspiring photos! Who knew concrete could do much more than scrape your knees!
Love the sinks… wow.
Joy’s last blog post..
I had been considering doing concrete counters for a long time b/c of the DIY affordability of it. I had kind of resigned myself that it would just have a bit of industrial look (maybe get to tint it but that would be it) but now after just seeing those 2 examples, I see how AMAZING concrete can look. You have SOLD me on this project. It may be a little way off, but I am absolutely going to do this in our house. Can’t wait to see more examples! I especially love the leaves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO CREATIVE AND BEAUTIFUL!
Cristy’s last blog post..With Faith Like A Sponge
I would use an off white egg-shell, pure white is difficult to cover with. Any off white will look white when used, but is much easier to cover with. Just make sure you use a quality brand.